The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • The roof is now the field

    The roof is now the field

    Is agriculture a rural activity? Not  any more.  A new breed of urban farmers are exploring unimaginable spaces to practise agriculture. Roof-top farms, window-box herb gardens and parkland vegetable patches are taking root in major cities. This may  be  the way  to  go  in  the  next  few years,  DANIEL ESSIET  reports.

    A rooftop in United Kingdom  (UK) is probably the last place, Director Africa Region, Cassava Adding to Africa(CAVA), Dr  Kola Adebayo   expected  to see a farm.   He   saw a  building burst forth with a burgeoning roof top crop of fruits and vegetables. The farm boasts of a diverse crop of vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, egg plant, green beans and other vegetables hang from dozens of plants set in rows of tubing.

    For Adebayo, people   don’t   need to live in the countryside to grow vegetables. Plants can flourish in the middle of the city, everywhere from community gardens to the roof-tops and balconies of homes.

    Urban farming is becoming a serious business in many cities around the world. It is   interesting to see how roof  top  farms have  extended  its influence from a ‘vacant-lots-only’ phenomenon to a ‘rest-of-the-city’ phenomenon.

    Widely  travelled , Adebayo  said roof -top  farms provide  an example of a systematic approach to rethinking urban landscapes for more productive means.

    UK and  major  cities  such as Havana,  Tokyo, Montreal, Rotterdam, New York, Washington, Netherland, Seoul, Mainland China, Denmark, Belgium, Canada,The Netherlands, Ireland,New  York City to Chicago, Venezuela to Lima, Hong Kong and  Cape  Town  have  become  exemplary models   of this new self-provisioning, a precedent that demonstrates  opportunities  for the transforming urban agriculture. Roof top gardens and farms now appear atop restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, senior housing, rental housing, condo towers, old industrial buildings, schools, university buildings, community centers and office towers.

    For  instance, in Hong Kong, a growing number of organic fruit and vegetable plots are being created on top of skyscrapers and other spare rooftop spaces.

    Practically speaking, Adebayo  said rooftops would  provide space for food production in  places  such as Lagos  and other  cities  when no ground-level landscape is available.

    Considering  space challenges,  Adebayo   said   urban growers  in  Lagos   can  take   roof  top  farming  seriously, and transformed underused top   spaces into exceptionally productive spaces.

    According to him,  organic agriculture is a growing trend in big cities.Not only because people want organic food, but also because it shortens distances and generates income.

    The beauty of urban farming, according to him, is that it not only produces an abundance of organic, locally grown food, but also has a social, economic and communal impact.

    Roof top farming, he   noted   has the potential to become a national green evolution, improving the economy, sustainability and health of urban communities.

    As with ground urban agriculture, he said food grown on roofs is as fresh as it comes.  Produce is generally grown using chemical-free or even organic practices, which is great news because avoiding exposure to chemical herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers further contribute to a healthy body.

    Since  farms   are valuable in densely occupied cities where space is at a premium, the  experts  noted  that  ongoing  building   construction   designs  were  going  to support  roof top agriculture.

    This is because owners of residential buildings will benefit economically, by converting underutilised roof space into garden plots.

    A former  chairman, Lagos  State Chapter, Nigerian Institute  of Architects, Mrs  Bimbo  Ajayi   said  green roof gardens can deliver locally sourced foods that help protect the environment by minimising the use of pesticides, fossil fuels, and other resources to grow and transport food to market from larger commercial farms.  In addition,she   said  green roofs can also improve the urban environment by insulating buildings against energy loss, managing storm, improving air quality, and providing places for recreation.

    For  these  good  reasons, she   said  roof tops  farms  are  steadily gaining attention for its commercial and social opportunities.

    This, however    has  had  a major influence on the development of architecture  as a  tool in urban food security, community development and climate change adaptation.

    According  to  Mrs  Ajayi, architects  can  work  with  building owners and developers to unlock value in their sunlit roofs by developing a model  for  roof top  farms  to  enable  them  supply local markets and consumers with fresh produce.

    For her, anyone with some flat roof space and an interest in growing food without garden space on the ground—could use the roof top to plant vegetables.

    According to her, any competent architect   can   design  a  system that  can be adapted easily on top of nearly any type of roof.

    Mrs  Ajayi  said  roof top farms would   thrive  in Nigeria  as the  architecture  is   generic; it is  not  difficult  to be designed   by  any  architect. In other words, it is a generic building for a specific need: to to grow food on top of a  building.

    According to her, the common, large, flat, homogeneous and unused industrial roof tops offer great possibilities to install urban farms and provide food within the city.

    Besides the obvious benefits of providing local and healthy eating options, roof top gardens have tremendous environmental benefits as they  can lower building temperatures, which in turn reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

    When there are many green roofs in urban areas, she said they can reduce air pollution and heat stress. Another benefit of green roofs is reducing rain run-off which helps prevent sewage over-flow events and  flooding.

    A  lecturer  in  Fine Arts  Department ,University  of  Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Dr Anselem Nyah   said  roof   top  farms  must  be designed in such a way  that empowers  vegetables  to grow organically on generic flat roofs.

    He said builders  have  to design   unused roof tops to  ensure  the load capacity of  the   roof can support the average weight of farms tank.

    According to Nyah, buildings hosting roof top gardens  should  have  a structure  with  a base system and growing medium.

    The farm utilises a mixture of compost and  rock particulates, which is lifted onto the roof following engineer approval. The combined materials are light weight, allowing for proper air circulation and water retention. The system also cools   the  lower  part  of the  building.

    He  said   roof tops   can be  structurally  built  to  handle the soil, water, and plant loads expected  during  farming  seasons.

    Nyah    said the owner has to  bring soil up to the roof and install it on top of several layers of roof protection before they can start planting anything.

    Urban roof top farming is thriving in cities such  as Brooklyn and Montreal, but it is not yet popular  in Nigeria. But experts say this will change in no distant future.

    Nigeria’s agric sector is fast becoming the toast of global investors fewer than 3000 of them are planning to invest in the sector.

    The businesses, industries and other investors would be joining Nigerian and international policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, technologists and investors in Lagos in November for Agra Innovate, a ground-breaking exhibition and conference being organised by the convener of the largest agric exhibition in Brazil, Informa.

    Managing Director, Afrocet Nigeria Ltd, Bryan Pearson, said the investors, most of whom have signified interest in participating at Agra Innovate, would be coming with an array of solutions and innovation in agriculture that could jump start the sector to a much higher level.

    He   said the introduction of  roof top farms is   one  of the   solutions  that   experts will  address at the forum.

    Spurred by consumer demand for fresh, local produce, and aided by new technology, he  said  entrepreneurs are leasing rooftop space for commercial agricultural operations in the heart of bustling cities.

    Pearson, said city-based rooftop farms  harness the potential of food crops and fulfill a vital role in enhancing the delivery of sustainable food stocks and agriculture.

    This is critical for a nation struggling to overcome food shortages and rising food costs.

    He believes roof top agriculture enables and empowers people to make their communities healthier, more enjoyable places to live.

    According to Pearson, taking roof top farming model to the next level  will profit  the  economy.  That  is  why  it  has  to be  discussed  extensively  by  national  and international agricultural policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, technologists and investors during   the   exhibition and conference.

    Similarly, FarmBiz Africa.com, a website dedicated to Kenyan Agric news, said Africans are buying into the idea. Kenya is an example for Nigerian farmers.  Behind overlapping shanties and over crowded streets, is a novel roof gardening project in the Mathare slums of Nairobi that has been feeding over 109 households. It also provides income to slum women struggling to make ends meet.

    The  gardens are mounted on top of small structures, some measuring 10 by 10 metres, which are the standard structures in the area, accommodating on average  about five family members.

    Kwa Karioki is a small village in Mathare slum which residents have extended their farming gardens to roofing of their shanties in a bid to reap extra cash and fresh nutrients for their families.

    Planted in assorted jerry cans, vegetables cultivated by farmers in this area are enough to feed the village and even get consumed in the neighbouring leafy suburbs of Muthaiga.

    Elizabeth Nyaberi 42, who pioneered this form of farming, is optimistic that if people would turn their roofs into gardens, food security can be realised.

    Practised by 109 households within the informal settlement, this form of farming has saved families a burden of spending at least Sh20 on vegetables every day, an amount hard to come by.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Flour Mills to invest in rice production

    Flour Mills to invest in rice production

    Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) will soon invest in the production and processing of locally grown rice through the participation of local farmers and other stakeholders in the supply chain.

    The company’s Group Managing Director Paul Gbededo, spoke in Lagos.

    “Nigeria consumes about 4 million metric tonnes of rice and we need about 1 million acres of land to achieve that. We want to start aggregating by involving others in the supply chain,” said Gbededo.

    FMN, which used to produce wheat-based products, initially began its rice business in 2009 by importing par-boiled rice into Nigeria. In 2010, the company constructed a rice mill which had the capacity to process brown rice to par-boiled rice.

    “We are commissioning and improving our capacity utilisation. Our new investments and projects are reaching maturity.”He further stated that the production of rice was affected by the tariff on its import as imported rice was cheaper than rice produced locally. He said that the increase in import tariff would also enhance its profit margin.

    Gbededo continued: “We are commissioning and improving our capacity utilisation. Our new investments and projects are reaching maturity.

    “We would start production at the 350,000 metric tons per annum edible oil processing company in Ibadan by the end of this year, our snack business is reaching maturity with the completion of Golden snack facility in Agbara, the $250m Golden sugar investment, our oil palm processing, all these investments would start impacting on the bottom line moving forward.”

    FMN saw a 22.45 percent appreciation in its profits for  last  year.

  • Ecobank, Eleni sign deal

    Ecobank Transnational Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with commodity exchanges developer Eleni LLC,  to establish  a co-operative for  promoting  and accelerating the development of Africa’s agricultural sector

    Ecobank’s Group Chief Executive, Albert Essien, and CEO of Eleni, Dr Eleni Gabre-Madhin,  signed the deal  during the AfDB’s Annual General Meeting(AGM) in Kigali.

    The partnership is aimed at realising a shared vision to transform Africa’s competitiveness in global commodity markets, enhancing value addition and processing in the domestic economy and enhancing food security. The partnership will look to build on the synergies between Ecobank’s unrivalled pan-African presence and its commitment to financial inclusion and eleni’s successful track record of creating and operating commodity exchanges in Africa, with projects in Ghana, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Nigeria.

    Ecobank  announced that it was a key investor in the establishment of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, Eleni’s first major foray in West Africa.

    “As well as increasing market transparency and reducing transaction costs, commodity exchanges play a crucial role in the monitoring and assessment of risk,” commented  Essien.

    “Instruments such as warehouse receipts reduce uncertainty and improve access to finance across the value chain. We look forward to collaborating further with Eleni to enhance Africa’s agricultural financing capabilities.”

    “We are very excited to be working with one of Africa’s leading financial institutions, with a solid pan-African focus, as this opens up a tremendous opportunity to establish the leading platform for commodity-related payments and transactions across the continent,”  Gabre-Madhin added.

  • ‘Naira depreciation affecting agro exporters’

    Continued  depreciation of Naira against the United States dollar is creating a challenging environment for agro exporters,  the  President, Association of Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr Femi Egbesola, has  said.

    This is as a result  of  the increased costs of operation involving international shipping companies, which services are dominated in foreign currency.

    He said many exporters are facing challenges of logistics.

    In case of international shipments of agro commodities, he said they   need to pay the shipping charges in US dollars and hence, additional amount has to be paid for the same shipments, making export  business   less profitable for the companies.

    On the export front, he said Nigerians were competing with exporters from other countries  where their currencies  make the   price they  receive  for  their  produce competitive.

    Egbesola added, however, that  local exporters were faced with high freight costs denominated in foreign currencies, subsequently hitting their profit margins.

    Calling  on  the  Central Bank of  Nigeria(CBN)  to do  something  on   the value  of the  Naira, the  ASBON  chief  said  local  agro  exporters  stand  the  risk of losing international customers to competing exporters from other international markets.

    He  said agro exporters are  forced absorb the increase in freight charges and work with lower margins, adding  that  in   event of failure or capability to absorb such additional freight costs, the exporters and importers may avoid/abstain from international trade.

    With  the  government  encouraging  more Nigerians to get  into exports,  he noted,  that  the government  needs  to do  something  to boost  the  naira  as its continued  depreciation   could lead to an overall decline in trade volumes from Nigeria  that would prove to be challenging for the shipping and freight forwarding companies.

    For the shipping companies that focused on  industries, a decline in international trade volumes would result in idle capacity or shipments with not-fully loaded ships, resulting in lower revenues as well as higher operational costs per customer consignment.

    He called on the government to provide more incentives to boost agriculture production and promote   livelihood security for a large number of farm families.

    According  to him,  farm productivity and profitability will be greatly helped if there is  improved  support  to  reinvigorate  farming tradition as  it is  a means to sustainable livelihood.

  • ‘Agric can bail out Nigeria’

    For Nigeria to attain a virile economy, the President, Jonathan Trust Foundation (JTF), Mr. Abiodun Dada, in this interview with JOHN OFIKHENUA, advocates that the primary assignment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) be farming for the country to create more jobs.

    From your point of view the president seems to have done all. Is there any need for his re-election ?

    The main strength of every economy in modern time lays on the accessibility to uninterrupted power supply. We acknowledge the huge step that has been taken in this area. After the 2015 elections you will see improvement in all the areas of the economy. We will start to see the positive impact of the privatisation of the Power sector. More and more companies, local and foreign will invest in power generation, transmission and distribution. The foundation has already been laid. Nigerians should expect to see major improvement in the Agricultural and Mining Sectors of the economy. Our past was Agriculture and Mining and so is the future of this country. These two sectors are capable of employing millions of Nigerians and also generating foreign earnings for the government through export. Imaginging if we stop posting our NYSC members to government and private establishments where they are underutilised and put them into farming. If we create NYSC Agricultural Scheme and   the state government allocates hundreds of hectares of land to scheme in their various local government council for farming where every corps member will carry out their national primary assignment, what impact do you think it would have on food production? Some corps members will even take to farming after completing their service thereby creating jobs. This will reduce the dependence on what more? the government for job creation. This administration from 2015 will create entrepreneurs that would employ Nigerians and drastically reduce the unemployment rate in the country. It worries me to see how an important ministry like the Ministry of Mines has been underfunded. This is a ministry through which millions of our youths can be employed. One out of every ten jobs in Canada is directly or indirectly associated with mining. The same situation is obtained in Australia and South Africa. Ghana, Botswana and Brasil are some of the countries whose economy relies heavily on mining. With proper funding of the sector, the government will not only create jobs but also ease the agitation for resources control. This is a country where solid minerals are everywhere. Look out our steel industry, what is happening to Ajaokuta steel complex, neglect and controversies. The administration of President Jonathan is working to get the Ajaokuta Steel back on track. Tens of thousands of Nigerians would be employed by the time the Ajaokuta Steel is up and running.

  • ‘Naira depreciation affecting agro exporters’

    Continued  depreciation of Naira against the United States dollar is creating a challenging environment for agro exporters,  the  President, Association of Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr Femi Egbesola, has  said.

    This is as a result  of  the increased costs of operation involving international shipping companies, which services are dominated in foreign currency.

    He said many exporters are facing challenges of logistics.

    In case of international shipments of agro commodities, he said they   need to pay the shipping charges in US dollars and hence, additional amount has to be paid for the same shipments, making export  business   less profitable for the companies.

    On the export front, he said Nigerians were competing with exporters from other countries  where their currencies  make the   price they  receive  for  their  produce competitive.

    Egbesola added, however, that  local exporters were faced with high freight costs denominated in foreign currencies, subsequently hitting their profit margins.

    Calling  on  the  Central Bank of  Nigeria(CBN)  to do  something  on   the value  of the  Naira, the  ASBON  chief  said  local  agro  exporters  stand  the  risk of losing international customers to competing exporters from other international markets.

    He  said agro exporters are  forced absorb the increase in freight charges and work with lower margins, adding  that  in   event of failure or capability to absorb such additional freight costs, the exporters and importers may avoid/abstain from international trade.

    With  the  government  encouraging  more Nigerians to get  into exports,  he noted,  that  the government  needs  to do  something  to boost  the  naira  as its continued  depreciation   could lead to an overall decline in trade volumes from Nigeria  that would prove to be challenging for the shipping and freight forwarding companies.

    For the shipping companies that focused on  industries, a decline in international trade volumes would result in idle capacity or shipments with not-fully loaded ships, resulting in lower revenues as well as higher operational costs per customer consignment.

    He called on the government to provide more incentives to boost agriculture production and promote   livelihood security for a large number of farm families.

    According  to him,  farm productivity and profitability will be greatly helped if there is  improved  support  to  reinvigorate  farming tradition as  it is  a means to sustainable livelihood.

  • Govt partners Nestlé on energy foods

    Govt partners Nestlé on energy foods

    The Federal Government is   partnering   with Nestlé on the  manufacturing and processing of agricultural raw materials, such as maize, sorghum, millet and soybeans, into high-energy nutritious foods.

    It  aims at tackling high incidence of malnutrition and ensuring healthier children.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Dharnesh Gordhon, broke the news when the Minister visited the  Nestlé factory in Agbara,Ogun State.

    Adesina probed Nestlé for the state-of-the-art technology in its Agbara factory.

    He was  impressed with the breakthrough technology for processing maize and millet into Nestlé all-family cereal, Golden Morn.

    He said  Nestlé’s commitment to responsible sourcing of agricultural raw materials, which has resulted in purchase of over 32,000 metric tonnes of grains from local Nigerianfarmers in 2013 alone,is a clear example of business supporting farming and promoting it as a livelihood of choice that offers an attractive income.

    Nestlé will collaborate with the government to establish farmers group to grow grains such as maize, millet, sorghum and soybeans for the company at the right volume, price and quality.

    He added that Nestlé was an ideal partner for the Transformative Partnership for High-Energy Nutritious Foods, which was launched at the last World Economic Forum in Abuja.

    In his own remarks, Gordhon lauded the federal government for their agricultural transformation agenda which is aimed at growing the agricultural sector and creating wealth.

    He assured the Minister that the company would support the Transformative Partnership for High-Energy Nutritious Foods project.

    He added that the initiative was in line with Nestlé’s global commitments to help increase consumption of whole grains and to help reduce the risk of under-nutrition through micronutrient fortification. These initiatives are of the company’s approach to business, which it calls ‘Creating Shared Value’. This is based on the belief that for a company to be successful over the long term and create value for shareholders, it must create value for society.

    One of the firm’s strategies to increase consumption of whole grains is by re-formulating and redesigning products based on scientific insights. Nestlé has announced a major pledge to improve the welfare of the farm animals in its supply chain, following the signing  of a partnership agreement with NGO World Animal Protection.

  • The roof is now the field

    The roof is now the field

    Is agriculture a rural activity? Not  any more.  A new breed of urban farmers are exploring unimaginable spaces to practise agriculture. Roof-top farms, window-box herb gardens and parkland vegetable patches are taking root in major cities. This may  be  the way  to  go  in  the  next  few years,  DANIEL ESSIET  reports.

    A rooftop in United Kingdom  (UK) is probably the last place, Director Africa Region, Cassava Adding to Africa(CAVA), Dr  Kola Adebayo   expected  to see a farm.   He   saw a  building burst forth with a burgeoning roof top crop of fruits and vegetables. The farm boasts of a diverse crop of vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, egg plant, green beans and other vegetables hang from dozens of plants set in rows of tubing.

    For Adebayo, people   don’t   need to live in the countryside to grow vegetables. Plants can flourish in the middle of the city, everywhere from community gardens to the roof-tops and balconies of homes.

    Urban farming is becoming a serious business in many cities around the world. It is   interesting to see how roof  top  farms have  extended  its influence from a ‘vacant-lots-only’ phenomenon to a ‘rest-of-the-city’ phenomenon.

    Widely  travelled , Adebayo  said roof -top  farms provide  an example of a systematic approach to rethinking urban landscapes for more productive means.

    UK and  major  cities  such as Havana,  Tokyo, Montreal, Rotterdam, New York, Washington, Netherland, Seoul, Mainland China, Denmark, Belgium, Canada,The Netherlands, Ireland,New  York City to Chicago, Venezuela to Lima, Hong Kong and  Cape  Town  have  become  exemplary models   of this new self-provisioning, a precedent that demonstrates  opportunities  for the transforming urban agriculture. Roof top gardens and farms now appear atop restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, senior housing, rental housing, condo towers, old industrial buildings, schools, university buildings, community centers and office towers.

    For  instance, in Hong Kong, a growing number of organic fruit and vegetable plots are being created on top of skyscrapers and other spare rooftop spaces.

    Practically speaking, Adebayo  said rooftops would  provide space for food production in  places  such as Lagos  and other  cities  when no ground-level landscape is available.

    Considering  space challenges,  Adebayo   said   urban growers  in  Lagos   can  take   roof  top  farming  seriously, and transformed underused top   spaces into exceptionally productive spaces.

    According to him,  organic agriculture is a growing trend in big cities.Not only because people want organic food, but also because it shortens distances and generates income.

    The beauty of urban farming, according to him, is that it not only produces an abundance of organic, locally grown food, but also has a social, economic and communal impact.

    Roof top farming, he   noted   has the potential to become a national green evolution, improving the economy, sustainability and health of urban communities.

    As with ground urban agriculture, he said food grown on roofs is as fresh as it comes.  Produce is generally grown using chemical-free or even organic practices, which is great news because avoiding exposure to chemical herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers further contribute to a healthy body.

    Since  farms   are valuable in densely occupied cities where space is at a premium, the  experts  noted  that  ongoing  building   construction   designs  were  going  to support  roof top agriculture.

    This is because owners of residential buildings will benefit economically, by converting underutilised roof space into garden plots.

    A former  chairman, Lagos  State Chapter, Nigerian Institute  of Architects, Mrs  Bimbo  Ajayi   said  green roof gardens can deliver locally sourced foods that help protect the environment by minimising the use of pesticides, fossil fuels, and other resources to grow and transport food to market from larger commercial farms.  In addition,she   said  green roofs can also improve the urban environment by insulating buildings against energy loss, managing storm, improving air quality, and providing places for recreation.

    For  these  good  reasons, she   said  roof tops  farms  are  steadily gaining attention for its commercial and social opportunities.

    This, however    has  had  a major influence on the development of architecture  as a  tool in urban food security, community development and climate change adaptation.

    According  to  Mrs  Ajayi, architects  can  work  with  building owners and developers to unlock value in their sunlit roofs by developing a model  for  roof top  farms  to  enable  them  supply local markets and consumers with fresh produce.

    For her, anyone with some flat roof space and an interest in growing food without garden space on the ground—could use the roof top to plant vegetables.

    According to her, any competent architect   can   design  a  system that  can be adapted easily on top of nearly any type of roof.

    Mrs  Ajayi  said  roof top farms would   thrive  in Nigeria  as the  architecture  is   generic; it is  not  difficult  to be designed   by  any  architect. In other words, it is a generic building for a specific need: to to grow food on top of a  building.

    According to her, the common, large, flat, homogeneous and unused industrial roof tops offer great possibilities to install urban farms and provide food within the city.

    Besides the obvious benefits of providing local and healthy eating options, roof top gardens have tremendous environmental benefits as they  can lower building temperatures, which in turn reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

    When there are many green roofs in urban areas, she said they can reduce air pollution and heat stress. Another benefit of green roofs is reducing rain run-off which helps prevent sewage over-flow events and  flooding.

    A  lecturer  in  Fine Arts  Department ,University  of  Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Dr Anselem Nyah   said  roof   top  farms  must  be designed in such a way  that empowers  vegetables  to grow organically on generic flat roofs.

    He said builders  have  to design   unused roof tops to  ensure  the load capacity of  the   roof can support the average weight of farms tank.

    According to Nyah, buildings hosting roof top gardens  should  have  a structure  with  a base system and growing medium.

    The farm utilises a mixture of compost and  rock particulates, which is lifted onto the roof following engineer approval. The combined materials are light weight, allowing for proper air circulation and water retention. The system also cools   the  lower  part  of the  building.

    He  said   roof tops   can be  structurally  built  to  handle the soil, water, and plant loads expected  during  farming  seasons.

    Nyah    said the owner has to  bring soil up to the roof and install it on top of several layers of roof protection before they can start planting anything.

    Urban roof top farming is thriving in cities such  as Brooklyn and Montreal, but it is not yet popular  in Nigeria. But experts say this will change in no distant future.

    Nigeria’s agric sector is fast becoming the toast of global investors fewer than 3000 of them are planning to invest in the sector.

    The businesses, industries and other investors would be joining Nigerian and international policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, technologists and investors in Lagos in November for Agra Innovate, a ground-breaking exhibition and conference being organised by the convener of the largest agric exhibition in Brazil, Informa.

    Managing Director, Afrocet Nigeria Ltd, Bryan Pearson, said the investors, most of whom have signified interest in participating at Agra Innovate, would be coming with an array of solutions and innovation in agriculture that could jump start the sector to a much higher level.

    He   said the introduction of  roof top farms is   one  of the   solutions  that   experts will  address at the forum.

    Spurred by consumer demand for fresh, local produce, and aided by new technology, he  said  entrepreneurs are leasing rooftop space for commercial agricultural operations in the heart of bustling cities.

    Pearson, said city-based rooftop farms  harness the potential of food crops and fulfill a vital role in enhancing the delivery of sustainable food stocks and agriculture.

    This is critical for a nation struggling to overcome food shortages and rising food costs.

    He believes roof top agriculture enables and empowers people to make their communities healthier, more enjoyable places to live.

    According to Pearson, taking roof top farming model to the next level  will profit  the  economy.  That  is  why  it  has  to be  discussed  extensively  by  national  and international agricultural policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, technologists and investors during   the   exhibition and conference.

    Africans are buying into the idea. Kenya is an example for Nigerian farmers.  Behind overlapping shanties and over crowded streets, is a novel roof gardening project in the Mathare slums of Nairobi that has been feeding over 109 households. It also provides income to slum women struggling to make ends meet.

    The  gardens are mounted on top of small structures, some measuring 10 by 10 metres, which are the standard structures in the area, accommodating on average  about five family members.

    Kwa Karioki is a small village in Mathare slum which residents have extended their farming gardens to roofing of their shanties in a bid to reap extra cash and fresh nutrients for their families.

    Planted in assorted jerry cans, vegetables cultivated by farmers in this area are enough to feed the village and even get consumed in the neighbouring leafy suburbs of Muthaiga.

    Elizabeth Nyaberi 42, who pioneered this form of farming, is optimistic that if people would turn their roofs into gardens, food security can be realised.

    Practised by 109 households within the informal settlement, this form of farming has saved families a burden of spending at least Sh20 on vegetables every day, an amount hard to come by.

     

  • Politicians hijack cocoa fund, says CAN President

    The President of Cocoa Association of Nigeria CAN Mr Sayina Riman,  has cried fowl over  the  N540 million allegedly disbursed to cocoa farmers in the country.

    Riman, who  spoke to  The Nation, said  despite the determination  and tenacity of purpose of the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina  towards  cocoa farmers, “the implementations are far below expectation.”

    According to him, “if you are talking about accessibility of fund for cocoa farmers, the policy is not farmer’s friendly most of the banks that are saddled with this responsibility are far away from the farmers, the Bank of Industry, Agric Bank and a host of others. They put a cumbersome operational policy that was difficult for most of the illiterate cocoa farmers to understand, that is why the farmers have put their fate into their hands,”

    The CAN President lamented that “most of the agricultural  incentives went to the civil servants and their cronies. If you go to them, they will tell you that the farmers have accessed so much. If as the President of CAN,  own about 200 hectares of cocoa, yet l cannot benefit ordinary chemical incentive from the Federal Government what do you think other cocoa farmers will benefit?

    He explained that the major task before the association is how to get the data base of all the cocoa farmers.

    “As  a body, we are taking the data base and want to get all the particulars of genuine cocoa farmers in the country, we are still talking to the minister of agriculture and  commerce to be a partner  and fund the Geo-Physical Survey, GPS of all the cocoa farm in the country for easy accessibility and for research purpose.

    “This will go a long way to access any fund because we would know who get what at a particular time. You can  go to the farmers to ask if they access any of the acclaimed incentive. If they say yes, the system is through,” he said.

  • Nigeria,19 others to benefit from $63m project

    Nigeria is among 20 African countries that will   benefit from a $63million project that seeks to increase the potential of four key crops, rice, maize, cassava, and wheat.

    The  project  would  increase yields of each crop by 20 percent, and a 60 per cent increase in annual average household income in five years through technology adoption.

    The  Support for Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC), has four components which include agricultural technologies and innovations generation to ensure the right technologies tools have been identified to drive food  production, technologies and innovations dissemination which entails farmers spreading the technologies to others and ensuring they can use  them to increase production and yields and  capacity building to  empower the farmers to  adopt  technologies and project management.

    Other countries to benefit include Kenya, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana,, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

    The project will be implemented by three Africa-based centres of the Multinational Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). These are Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).  Meanwhile,Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya are set to benefit from a new breed of Vitamin A cassava  that  can  mature  within a short  time.

    The   cassava that  can   bred on a large scale and  contains high contents of vitamin A is  produced    by researchers from Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in  Columbia..

    The lead author and a plant breeder at CIAT, Hernan Ceballos,  explained: “People need other nutrients like minerals, vitamins and proteins and cassava roots currently don’t have them and that is why we are initiating this research. This revelation comes at a time when statistics indicate that millions of people in Africa are typically affected by vitamin deficiency.